Top ok roof fob furnaces or retorts



G. MCD. JOHNS 2 Sheets-Sheet l D. JOM/V6,

n y 7i/"MMM Filed Dec.l 6, 1920 .il x l Jl I nl @E TOP 0R' ROOF FOR EURNACES 0R RETORTS July 2s, 192s.

July Z8, l 925.

` l 1,547,396 G. McD. JOHNS TOP 0R ROOF FOR FURNACES OR RETORTS Filed Deo. 6, 1920 .2 Sheets-Sheet 2 earner!" OFFICE.

GEORGE MOD. JOI-INS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

TO THE INDUSTRIAL PROCESS ENGINFEEIN COMPANY, A CORPORATION OFA DELAWARE. l

TOP OR ROOF FOR FURNACES OR RETORTS.

Application mea December e, m2o. serial No. 428,593.

To all whom t may concern.

Be it known that I, GEORGE MGD. JOHNS, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in rlops or Roofs for Furnaces or Retorts, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

rlhis invention relates generally to reduction furnaces, retorts, and the like an-d, more particularly, to a certain new and useful improvement in tops or roofs for furnaces or retorts especially designed for the extraction by distillation or vaporization of oil from shale and other oil-bearing materials.

An object of my present invention is to provide a furnace or retort roof or top so constructed as to facilitate the flow of the vapor to the condensers, and to such end and morespecitically to provide a furnace top or roof which includes a vapor-conduit, takeeolf boxes, and roof-members, the box and roof-members being so shaped and co operating as to conduct or direct the vapor from the retort body into the conduit for later condensation purposes.

Another object of my present invention is to provide a furnace or retort top or roof made up of or which includes a plurality of co-operating separable sections, whereby the roof is elastic, as it might be described, for adaptability to different size 'furnaces rand also easily removable or replaceable, either as an entirety or in parts, for purposes of re pair or for permitting convenient access to the furnace-interior.

An additional object of my present inven tion is to provide a. sectional furnace or retort roof or top, the several sections of which may be easily fabricated and readily assembled in covering or roofing position upon the retort-body or setting.

`With the above and other objects in view, my present invention resides in the novel features of form, construction, arrangement, and combination of parts hereinafter describd and afterwards pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure l is a side elevational view of a furnace-top or roof embodying my invention, a portion of the conduit beingV broken awayg Figure 2 is a plan view of the furnace-top or roof;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view of the roof or top, showing a portion of the furnace-setting, taken through one of the take-off boxes on approximately the line 3 3, Figure 2;

Figure 4l is a similar view, taken, however, through one of the top or roof-plates on approximately the line 4 4, Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the furnace-top or roof taken approximately on the line 5-5, Figure 2.

Referringnow more in detail to the said drawings, which illustrate a practical embodiment of my invention and in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views, l designates the furnace-setting, which may be of any standard or approved form and construction common to furnaces of the reduction or distillation type in which relatively high temperatures are lcreated and maintained, such setting generally comprising a brick exterior and a lining of suitable refractory material and being usually of rectangular oblong configuration'. l

Suitably mounted, and preferably removably fastened or held in place, upon the setting l, is a retaining-frame for the several roof ysections or members. This frame is composed preferably of angle-members 2 connected at then-ends by angle-plates 3 and rivets or the like 4, the horizontal flanges of the frame-members 2 resting upon the setting l and the other or vertical flanges of the frame-members 2 being presented upwardly `with their outer face substantially flush with, or in the plane of, the outer face of the setting.

At approximately the longitudinal center of the furnace setting l here illustrated, and spanning the setting with their ends resting upon the horizontal flanges of the frame side-members 2, is a pair of beams 5 preferably of angle-iron of L-section; and xed between the vertical flanges of the beams 5 and depending from the beams into the setting for some little distance below or beneath the plane of the frame 2- for purposes later appearing,- is a so-'called bafHe plate 6.v

Disposed intermediate the beams 5 and the end frameunengibers 2, is` a `plurality of suitably spaced so-called beams 7 7, which are also preferably of angle-iron of L-section and, like the beams 5, span the open setting with their ends resting upon the horizontal flanges of the opposite frame sidewmembers 2. Each ofthe beams 7 is bent, as best seen in Figures and fl, and thereby divided and shaped to incline downwardly and outwardly from approximately its longitudinal center, the apex of the beam being disposed appr ximately in, or adjacent to, the transverse center of the furnace and rising` above the beam-ends resting upon the frame side-meinbers 2. rlliese beams 7 are suitably spaced in pairs with their horizontal flanges presented outwardly or towards the opposite ends of the furnace-setting, as best seen in Figures 1 and 2, and provide or constitute what might be designated the laterale or supports for the several roof sections. i

8MS are sections, preferably metal plates, which constitute or provide the side-members or walls of so--called vapor takeoff `box-es for the furnace. These sections 8, which are also `ai'i'r-iiged in pairs, are shaped or formed at their lower `edges or margins to conform with the bent beams or laterale 7 and at their said lower margins or edges are fixed, as by rivets 9, to and upon the inner-faces of the vertical legs or flanges of the beams 7, as

best seen in Figures 2 and The walls or sections 8 at their upper margins or edges,-

r however,` are shaped to'continuously incline from end to end of the box or from one to the other side of the furnace; here shown, reference being particularly had to Figures 3 and 4, the wall sections 8 at their upper margins or edges .slope upwardly from the -left tothe right hand side of the 'furnace setting `l, ythe box being consequently larger in area at its outlet or right-hand end than at its opposite or left-hund end. llivetel or otherwise fixed to and upon the inner-face 4of walls `8 at their sloping upper margins or edges, are suitable angles 10, to which Lil length of the beams or laterals 7 and extending `longitudinally of the furnace, with one side `wall fixed or riveted, as by upright angle-members 13, to the right-hand or outlet margins or edges ofthe taire-ofi" box walls 8-8, is a continuous conduit 14 adapted for communication with the several `taire-olf boxes of the top, the conduit lll being provided at each take-off box with a suitable communicating opening 15, and the innerwall of the conduit at each opening 15 being boxes, are suitable preferably metallic sections or plates 19-20. Each of the plates 19-20, and itwill be understood that each of these plates may be formed integrally in one piece orI of co-operating separable sections, are so shaped at their inner margins or edges to conform with the bent shape of the beams or "laterale 7, a plate 19 being disposed upon one side of a take-off box with its opposite straight ends resting upon the horizontal flanges of the opposite frame side-members 2, itsouter straightside margin resting loosely or removably upon the horizontal flange of the adjacent frame endmember `2, and its inner bent side or margin resting upon the adjacent beam or lateral 7, and a plate 20 being disposed upon the opposite side of said take-oil' box and similarly having its opposite straight ends resting i upon the horizontal flangesof the opposite frame side-members 2, its one straightside margin resting upon the adjacent crossbeam or support 5, and its other or bent side or margin resting upon the bent beam or lateral 7 at the adjacent-side of the box. The plates 19-20, being shaped as described, incline in `both directions upwardly and laterally and provide what may be described as an inverted hopper leading into the take-ott boxes.

For sealingthe various joints or seams in the top Vof the roo-f so seetionally constructed, I may, if required, although not here shown, resort to the commonexpedient of filling sand or ,its equivalent over the lun various plates and between the conti-nes ofV the vertical flanges `of the retaining frame composed of the angle-members Y2.

From the foregoing description, it will be evident that, in use, the various sections of the roof may not only'be readily manufactuied or fabricated, but also easily assembled in .ii'ooling position upon the furnacesetting, and that, further, any one or all of the sections'i'nay with facility be removed for replacementV vor "to provide convenient access to the furnace inte-rior for repairs or adjustments.

condensers, the several roof plates being The roof also facilitates the `ilew of `the vapor from the retort-body tothe beams shaped to incline downwardly and outwardly from approximately their longitudinal center, in combination with a vapor take-ofi' box having support at the lower margins of its side walls upon the beams, the side walls of the box being shaped to conform at their lower margins with the shape of the beams, and vapor-conducting plate-sections disposed upon opposite sides oit the box and supported at a margin by the beams, the plates being also shaped at their said margins to conform with the shape of the beams.

l0. A retort-top including a frame, a pair of spaced beams supported at their ends by the frame, a take-oit box having support at its side walls upon the beams, a plurality7 of plates disposed upon opposite sides ont the box and supported at their `margins by the beams and the trame, and a conduit supported over the beams and plates and adapted for communication with the takeoff box.

11. A retort top including a iframe of angleeiron construction adapted for location upon the furnace-setting, a pair of spaced angle-iron later-als supported at their ends by the frame, a take-oil box having sup port at its side walls upon the laterals and rising above the frame, a plurality ofroofplates supported by the traine and laterals, and a conduit having engagement with the take-oil box and disposed over anend of off box.

the plates and "beams, the `conduit being adapted for communication with the. take- 12. A retort `top including a frame of angle-iron construction adapted for location Vuponthe iurnacesetting, a pair of spaced angle-ironlaterals supported at their' ends 'f by the frame, a takeoff box having supported at its ends by the frame, a plurality of plates supported by the frame, laterals, and beam, `and a conduit having engage--v ment with `the take-ofi' box and disposed over an end. of the plates and beams, the

conduit beingadapted for communication with ilie takeoff box.

13. A furnace roof including a `plurality of vapor take-ofi boxes each comprising spaced side walls and a top wall and each having a larger dimension at one end than at the other, and a conduit disposed at an angle to, and adapted for communication with the larger end of, each of said boxes.

\ lele, A retortroof'including a plurality of vapor take-off boxes each comprising spaced controlling communication `between the conduit and the several respective boxes.

l5. A retort root' including a pair of spaced vapor take-off` boxes each compris ing a pair of spaced side walls and a top wall, a pair ci' oppositely disposed inverted hopper-shaped root plates disposed between and leading into the pairs Vof respective boxes, and abaffie-plate disposed between the hopper-plates.` y u i 16. Ajretort top or roof including a pair of spaced take-ott boxes, a pair of crossbeams disposed intermediate the boxes, a pair of oppositely disposed hopper-shaped plates leading into the respective boxes and disposed respectively betweenv the crossbeams fand the boxes, and a baile-plate fixed tothe cross-beams and disposed between the hopperfplates. i

ln witness whereof, I have Signed my name tothis specification. Y

enonen MCD. Jol-ins. 

